I've been with this site for over two years now, but I haven't posted in months. My story is a little long so I'll try to summarize at the end, but I think I need to say this or write it down in some way for the same of being cathartic.

As a child and teenager I would binge eat at every moment- when my parents were away, after they went to bed, while baby sitting, ect. Being alone meant freedom to eat anything. In high school my binging would last for months in between months of dieting. By the time I graduated high school I weighed 200+ lbs at 5'2". I'll never know my true highest weight because I avoided scales, photos, and mirrors. Then, I joined this site, became serious and lost about 50lbs.

Recently, I moved in with my boyfriend and our friend Joe. Living with 22-year-old guys means that there is always junk food around. Not to mention the 2-4 friends over every night with pizza and calorie filled booze. In the post few months I've found that I'm back to my binging ways. I thought I had broken the habit, but once again whenever I find myself alone, I eat. I've gone back to my old habit-besting tricks like keeping healthy snacks around, and exercising stress away, but I can't seem to stop myself anymore. Although we don't have a working scale, it's probably safe to say I've gained back 10-20 lbs. I'm ready to admit that I might really need help this time.

TLDR; I eat massive quantities of food whenever I find myself alone. I broke this habit over a year ago but it's come back.

Hi ;-)
Walking and cycling improved my life.
Incorporate the good eating habits and walking and remain consistent with routine.
Listen to how your body responds for the first couple of weeks. Don't try to walk every day at first, unless you already do a lot of walking.
Try to look yourself in the mirror and be brutally honest.

Are you an emotional eater?When I was at my heaviest weight i was also the most emotionally upset.Maybe when your alone try to write down how your feeling and whats making you want to eat.R you bored,stressed, upset?let yourself feel it and let it pass

Are you an emotional eater?When I was at my heaviest weight i was also the most emotionally upset.Maybe when your alone try to write down how your feeling and whats making you want to eat.R you bored,stressed, upset?let yourself feel it and let it pass

I definitely used to be, but despite my day-to-day stresses, I'm actually really happy lately. I don't think emotions are really what's effecting my eating anymore. I think it's mostly fueled by cravings and old habits that I can't seem to control.

When I'm not bingeing or eating two lunches, I do actually make healthy choices. I'm a runner, and sometimes I really enjoy it. I also love calisthenics workouts and even when I'm in an exercise slump I stretch often and well.

Reading what you wrote, took me back to my freshman year of college, 10 years ago. I was doing EXACTLY the same thing. Putting on my head phones and listening to my mp3 and walking the track helped a lot. I also found out that there is something in egg yolks, blueberries, asparagus, and peanut butter that help your body deal with stress, and actually block the stress hormone from making you store fat. These things made a world of difference for me.
Before I added them in, I was 70 pounds heavier than I am right now and would binge eat when I was alone. It was terrible. Just know yr not alone, you have a support system here to listen and to help!!

A longer term solution is to think about why you've moved in with your boyfriend and his friend. These guys are never going to be 'on a diet.' You can date your boyfriend without living with him. You could actually move in with a friend who pays attention to health and diet - or several friends who share those concerns (women, most likely) and still save money on your rent.

This bad habit of bingeing is compounded by emotions spurring your eating. Even when things are going well, relationships have a 'shelf life' - or at the very least a direction. You either know the direction (engagements, marriage, or breaking up) or you're buffeted around like someone who's riding a wave. It can take a subtle emotional toll.

Don't want to get into your emotional life. All I'm saying is that emotions are a factor in bingeing.

I read about a chef who went on a diet (don't remember who it was) and the one thing he knew he did was eat the entire contents of every package. He ate whole bags of chips, whole bags of broccoli. I completely understood this because it is what I do. He had a person help him lose weight by planning his 'eat through the whole thing' experiences. It worked and he lost weight. It's the closest thing to a 'bingeing' diet I think I've ever read about. Now, I wish I could find out who made that diet up for him!

I also found out that there is something in egg yolks, blueberries, asparagus, and peanut butter that help your body deal with stress, and actually block the stress hormone from making you store fat.

Thanks! I've started adding peanut butter to my breakfast in the morning! I think it helps keep off cravings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kathy13118

Don't want to get into your emotional life. All I'm saying is that emotions are a factor in bingeing.

I've joked about the not-being-alone thing before. I understand that emotions are a factor but I think for me it has to do more with the freedom I feel when I'm alone. It has nothing to do with my living arrangements or my boyfriend. Despite their junky habits, they're very supportive of my quest for health.
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I've taken to posting photos and recipes on the fridge and pantry to keep me from eating unhealthy snacks (or at least choosing better options). I'm happy to report that I'm 3 days with no binge!

There are two ways to look at that, and I've experienced both!
1) When I stay up really late, and my husband goes to bed early, I eat.
2) Years ago, when my boyfriend went away for an extended period (summer), I suddenly had all the freedom in the world to plan my own time, my own grocery shopping, my own meals. I went on a very low calorie diet and lost a lot of weight.

I cannot even reconcile in my own mind what 'freedom' allows me in both of those situations.

I soooo totally get this. I call it going into "Pac Man" mode. I just remind myself of that little PacMan eating everything in my path! I swear I'm not hungry or even emotionally upset. I just start eating, and eating, and eating. And since I know it's not good stuff I'm eating, I don't do it when others are around.

I have found that if I am religious about writing down my foods and exercise, I can at least see what the PacMan episodes do to my calorie balance. I also admit that they are going to happen, and if I can keep them to one every 2-3 weeks, I still stay on the positive side of healthy. I don't beat myself up over it. I just get right back to eating right and logging what I eat.

Maybe try to start a new auto-response habit -- alone? Get out of the house and go for a walk around the block. Alone and find yourself about to binge? Get out of the house and go for a walk around the block.

I haven't binged regularly/consistently in a long time, and I too still have the automatic response to eat when no one's looking. I know it's also partly an emotional trigger, as it's my automatic response to being in my parents' house as opposed to being alone in my apartment or at work.

It's hard when your house is full of college-boy-junk-food, so I'd suggest removing yourself from the situation when you feel the automated response kick in. Don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work, but treat yourself if it does, perhaps if you manage to stave off the binge cycle 3 times in a week or however many times you decide, buy something small for yourself that you've wanted, something like that.

If you don't have a scale (though those can be double edged swords), it might be a good idea to buy one and keep it where only you have access to it.